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Slices of Fate by Eddy Webb Now in Print!

Flames — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:35:36 +0000

Slices of Fate is a unique collection featuring the works of Eddy Webb. Stories within range from the author’s nod to literary tales as in his piece “A Sheepish Trip to Yorkshire” to his more speculative work such as “The Battlefield.”

Essays include a series on two of Webb’s oldest loves: wrestling and Sherlock Holmes. Combined with several pieces of microfiction, this debut collection is an in-depth representation of Eddy’s work over the course of several years.

“Enthusiastic, creative, honest, intelligent.” – Jason L Blair, from the introduction.

About Eddy Webb: Eddy Webb (with a “y,” thank you) is a writer, podcaster, game designer, and transmedia developer. Hired on with CCP/White Wolf in late 2007, he currently designs content for the World of Darkness MMO. He lives a sitcom life with his wife, his roommate, a supervillain cat, and two pug dogs. Eddy is the author of Mind’s Eye Theatre: The Awakening, Criminal Intent (Vampire: The Requiem) and New Wave Requiem for White Wolf.

Slices of Fate is available in PDF and Print formats at DriveThruFiction.com.

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New Book and End of the Year FR Press Sale!

Flames — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:59:34 +0000

FR Press is pleased to announce the release of Slices of Fate!

“Enthusiastic, creative, honest, intelligent.” – Jason L Blair, from the introduction.

Slices of Fate is available now in eBook format at DriveThruFiction.com!

FR Press has had an awesome 2011 and we’d like to celebrate with a big sale on all of our eBooks for the last week of the year!

This sale includes Slices of Fate, as well as Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror, our horror anthology with ghost stories from Chuck Wendig, Rich Dansky, Alex Bledsoe, Jess Hartley, Jason Sizemore and more. Also included in the sale are Monica Valentinelli’s The Queen of Crows and Instant Antagonist: The Creepy Cottontail!

This sale only lasts as long as 2011 does, so check out all of our eBooks at DriveThruFiction.com and DrivethruRPG.com today!

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FR Press Announces Slices of Fate, the Collected Works of Author Eddy Webb

Matt-M-McElroy — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:07:55 +0000

Matt M McElroy, Publisher of FR Press, announced today that Slices of Fate, the collected works of author Eddy Webb, will debut early December 2011.

“Slices of Fate is a collection that spans the depth and breadth of Webb’s work,” said editor Monica Valentinelli. “Arranged chronologically, this is a beautiful representation of the stories and voices Webb has to offer his readers.”

Stories range from the author’s nod to literary tales like “A Sheepish Trip to Yorkshire” to more speculative works like “The Battlefield.” Essays include a series on two of Webb’s loves: wrestling and Sherlock Holmes. Combined with several pieces of microfiction, the collection is an in-depth representation of the author’s work thus far.

Both digital and print editions of the collection will be available through online retailers like DriveThruFiction.com in early December 2011.

On the web: EddyFate.com

Twitter: @eddyfate

About Monica Valentinelli: Monica Valentinelli is an author and game designer who lurks in the dark. Her work has been published by several companies ranging from Crackle.com to Eden Studios. Her editing credits include Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror and Ninja Burger 2nd Edition.

On the web: MLVWrites.com

Twitter: @mlvalentine

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Monica-Valentinelli

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Haunted: Black Friday Special Offer!

Flames — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:13:35 +0000

Who willingly walks into a haunted house?

Ghost hunters explore dark places, investigate clues and uncover secrets of the dead. Evidence of an afterlife may prove elusive and few hunters recognize some things are best left buried and forgotten.

Suspense and intrigue lurks inside HAUNTED: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror. Unlock the clues in these eleven mysteries. HAUNTED features stories by Alana Joli Abbott, Georgia Beaverson, Jason L Blair, Alex Bledsoe, Bill Bodden, Richard Dansky, Preston P. Dubose, Nancy O. Greene, Jess Hartley, Jason Sizemore, Chuck Wendig and was edited by Monica Valentinelli.

HAUNTED is now available in Print! Normally the softcover edition sells for $14.99, but as part of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale extravaganza going on all over the web we have a special discounted price on this title from FR Press!

Get HAUNTED: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror for only $9.99 in print!

For those of you interested in the eBook edition, we’ve got a special offer for you too! Normally the eBook set of HAUNTED sells for $4.99 (you get the PDF, ePub and Mobi versions as a set). This weekend you can get the HAUNTED eBook for only $2.99!

These special prices are only available by using the links posted here and won’t be available forever, so act now!

Brian Hage gives HAUNTED 4 out of 5 Stars in his review at DriveThruFiction.com.

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Happy Halloween from FR Press!

Flames — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:31:36 +0000

To celebrate our favorite day of the year we have marked down the entire line of FR Press products by 50%!

The sale lasts for one day only so don’t miss out!

This includes the brand new Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror anthology that features spooky stories from Chuck Wendig, Jess Hartley, Rich Dansky, Jason Blair, Bill Bodden, Nancy Greene and more!

Also included in this sale is The Queen of Crows, Instant Antagonist: Creepy Cottontail and more!

Check out the complete line of FR Press eBooks and get half off for Halloween!
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Announcing Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror

Flames — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 15:43:37 +0000

FR Press, the publishing arm of popular horror site FlamesRising.com, announced today that its debut anthology is entitled Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror. The anthology will feature stories from Alana Joi Abbott, Georgia Beaverson, Jason L Blair, Alex Bledsoe, Bill Bodden, Richard Dansky, Preston P DuBose, Nancy O Greene, Jess Hartley, Jason Sizemore and Chuck Wendig. The collection of spooky stories also includes an introduction penned by Jaeson K. Jrakman, a ghost hunter who hails from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Edited by Monica Valentinelli, Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror will debut just in time for Halloween. The anthology will be available in both e-book format and print. Readers will be able to pick up a copy from DriveThruHorror.com and other online retailers. FR Press will also be working with some independent book and game stores who are interested in carrying the book.

The Table of Contents from Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror:

Introduction by Jaeson K. Jrakman, Ghost Hunter

What’s the Frequency, Francis? by Alex Bledsoe

Immaterial Witness by Jess Hartley

Useless Creek by Jason Sizemore

A Quiet House in the Country by Bill Bodden

Ghost Catcher by Georgia Beaverson

We Need Johnny by Chuck Wendig

After Life by Nancy O. Greene

It Happened in the Woods at Night by Jason L. Blair

The Man Who Built Haunted Houses by Richard Dansky

Missing Molly by Alana Joli Abbott

The Angry Stick by Preston P. DuBose

Editor’s Afterword by Monica Valentinelli

Look for Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror and other FR Press titles at DriveThruHorror.com.

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Help Us Interview White Wolf for Strange, Dead Love

Flames — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:00:34 +0000

Earlier, White Wolf publishing announced an upcoming paranormal romance sourcebook for Vampire: the Requiem entitled “Strange, Dead Love.”

Developers Russell Bailey and Eddy Webb guided a trio of writers on the project. Jess Hartley, Filamena Hill and Monica Valentinelli lent their expertise and their voices to dive into the steamier side of Requiem where vampires and mortals fall hopelessly in love and lust.

In honor of this sexy new book, FlamesRising.com wants Russell Bailey and Eddy Webb to spill all the supplement’s dirty secrets. We think you do, too. That’s why we need your help.

What do you want to know about Strange, Dead Love? Ask your burning questions in the comments below. Then, on Monday, October 3rd, we’ll shoot your deepest desires over to Eddy and Russell.

The finished interview will debut on FlamesRising.com on Sweetest Day, October 15th and will include ten questions chosen by White Wolf. Not all questions may be answered.

What are you waiting for? Fire away!

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Announcing the Vampire: the Masquerade Retrospective and Open Call

Flames — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 14:31:55 +0000

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Vampire: the Masquerade, Flamesrising.com is hosting an open call for new essays detailing memories and experiences of the property first published by White Wolf in 1991. The title of this series is the Vampire: the Masquerade Retrospective.

These essays will debut on FlamesRising.com as an online series from October 2011 to December 2011. The best of these may be collected into a book to be published in early 2012.

If you would like to submit an actual play write-up, FlamesRising.com will consider it for publication as part of the overall celebration of the Vampire: the Masquerade anniversary, but not as part of this series.

For more details on where to submit and what FlamesRising.com is looking for, please review the Vampire: the Masquerade Retrospective Submission Guidelines.

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Partners in Crime Fiction Review

Nix — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:35:15 +0000

Available at DriveThruHorror.com

Partners in Crime
by CJ Henderson with Joe Gentile

Partners in Crime starts off on the waning days of World War 2. A conspiracy is set forth by the Japanese government to obtain a particular item and two men are sent to retrieve it. The unlikely pairing of two Americans, one an expert jewel thief and the other an insurance fraud investigator, begin their adventure into post war Germany. There, they barely escape with their lives and the item they were sent after. Unfortunately, by the time they return to America the war has ended with the blasting of Japan with atomic weapons. As the company was a front for Japanese interests it was closed. The pair were still paid what they owed with a bit extra, the result that the conspirators had hoped for was not realized.

The contested item is the Moon of Kali, the largest black star sapphire in the world. It has a long and sordid history, the sort of history best described as ‘cursed’. For thousands of years it has left a trail of dead owners in its wake and tantalizing tales of its power. In World War 2, the Moon of Kali was captured by the Germans, who had sought out such mystical items. The Japanese saw the imminent fall of their allies and wished to use the Moon of Kali to safeguard their homeland.

The novel jumps repeatedly in sequence of events at the start and the writers seemed to have a firm hold on the pulp era, I would have greatly enjoyed an entire story set in this turbulent time that delved further into the exploits of Blackie and Dollar, the jewel thief and fraud investigator, as they worked to obtain the Moon. The pair were never mentioned again, and seemed to merely be a footnote in the history of the sapphire.

The story then jumps ahead several decades and we are introduced to a litany of new characters. The previous three characters are replaced by Lai Wan, a psychometrist, Keen, a finder of lost people, Hagee and Novak, both security people assigned to protect the sapphire, and Carl Kolchak, a reporter on the super-natural. Partners in Crime shifts focus from Lai Wan and Keen over to the other three quite often. There is also Stranger, Lai Wan’s dog, who is able to speak to Lai Wan due to her mental abilities. His communication came as quite a surprise to her, as he had not spoken before. He informed her that this was because she had never asked him a question and that most humans couldn’t ‘hear’ the thoughts of a dog. However, she was a good companion and could hear him.. after all, she gave good treats.

While I had trouble identifying with Lai Wan and Keen, the addition of Carl Kolchak tweaked my fan-boy nature to the extreme since I adored the series. The two groups set about their tasks oblivious to each others existence. Lai Wan, having had a prophetic dream, had recruited Keen to find a Japanese official named Moto while she searches for the Moon of Kali. Lai informs Keen of the dire nature of what is about to happen and the extremely short time table that is being observed. While Lai and Keen search, Hagee and Novak are on duty to keep a museum exhibit, of which the Moon is a part, safe. They are joined by Kolchak, crumpled hat and all, as he attempts to break the story of the Moon before anyone else is able to.

Soon both groups are embroiled in conflict. The lights at the museum are snuffed out and a battle ensues. Through luck, skill, and the help of another old friend those at the museum prevail and keep the Moon from falling into the hands of the evil that sought it. The secondary group faces the bulk of their issues in an alternate plane of existence. It is a dimension where willpower controls everything and thought has power. Wan called it the Dreamplane, a realm few knew existed or could accept that it existed.

The modern characters took some getting used to, and the only time the pace of the story slowed was at the onset of the second part. Although we, the readers, knew what was basically happening, those in the story had to go through a round of exposition on the Moon. Thus the tale is bogged slightly as they retell the history of the sapphire. Once that small portion is past, things quickly began picking up steam again. Each character was intriguing in their own way, and if one is interested further exploits are available for Kolchak, Blackie, Wan, Keen, Hagee, Blackshirt (an associate of Hagee that came to their aid), and Novak.

What I thought was going to be a rather mundane mystery that was occasionally spiced up with a little mysticism turned into an enthralling tale. It retained a hard edge despite its fanciful fringe elements that left the more mundane characters somewhat befuddled. Partners in Crime was an excellent read, with only a few chapters that seemed to act like a speed bump. It was entertaining, engaging, and the characters involved were fascinating enough that I would happily seek out their individual works of fiction.

Writing: 3.5 out 5- it does slow a bit in a couple of places, but those lulls are momentary
Artwork: 4 out 5- each chapter started off with a very well done piece of art
Entertainment: 4.5 out 5- I am biased though, as I love mysteries and Kolchak

Review by Sean “Nix” McConkey

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Flames Rising Now Available on Your Kindle

Flames — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:14:56 +0000

Do you have an Amazon Kindle? Like horror and dark fantasy? FlamesRising.com is now available to read on your Kindle for a monthly subscription of $1.99.

Our blog will be automatically delivered to your Kindle so you can read each post on your schedule. By subscribing to our content on a monthly basis, you’ll also be supporting our efforts to bring you quality content and reach out to new publishers, authors and fans like you.

To take advantage of this great deal, subscribe to Flames Rising on Amazon.com and get a free fourteen day trial.

If you’re not interested in a subscription but still want to help, we would appreciate a kind word or two on Amazon.com. After all, the only way our fire will spread is if we fan the flames.

Thanks for reading! Your support is greatly appreciated!

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Pelgrane Week: The Black Drop Review

Billzilla — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:01:34 +0000

Available at RPGNow.com

Note: This review contains spoilers; if the reader expects to play in a Trail of Cthulhu campaign that features this adventure, proceed accordingly.

Set in one of the most remote places on Earth, the Black Drop is an adventure for Trail of Cthulhu. Investigators, for reasons of their own, are on hand to witness the dismantling of an unsuccessful colonizing effort in the bleak and largely inhospitable Kerguelen Islands in the southern Indian Ocean. There are rumors that the Kerguelens were once part of an ancient continent: a place of advanced learning and magic – Lemuria. Something ancient stirs beneath these islands – something unwholesome and hungry…

The Black Drop is an intriguing adventure in several ways. First and perhaps most notable is the fact that a German vessel has arrived at the island, and several of her crew – including an SS officer, are there to save the world from a great evil. This goes against everything we’ve come to expect from Nazis in history and popular culture, so their intentions, particularly to those familiar with the film Raiders of the Lost Ark – will likely come as a great surprise.

Second, one or more of the player characters may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice for the good of the world. While the possibility of this is a central theme to games involving Cthulhu and the Great Old Ones, it’s rare that such an outcome is so unavoidably certain. The German party is here to prevent the God of the Black Stone from being freed; all have come willingly, and all but one of those participating in the ceremony to contain the dark god will die or go mad. As events transpire, they suddenly find themselves two men short of the absolutely necessary minimum, and desperately need to find replacements in order for their ritual to succeed. Will any of the investigators volunteer for this grisly, suicidal task?

Third, the very remoteness of the locale makes getting the characters there and involved in the story something of a challenge. To say that the Kerguelens are off the beaten path is to understate the matter by thousands of miles. The only reason to come anywhere near the Kerguelens would be specifically to visit them, and there’s really no sensible reason for most to do so.

Historically, these islands were colonized by French settlers in real life as a potential sheep-raising operation, in much the same way as the Falkland Islands were colonized by the British. The climate and environment of the Kerguelens are suitable for little else, and the mineral wealth of the place is negligible. When the sheep farming proved not to be a viable commercial concern, the enterprise was abandoned. In real life, the Kerguelens today are inhabited by only a few dozen persons – mostly scientists at the French satellite and missile tracking station, geologists and biologists. Sheep are still raised on one of the islands.

This setting flies in the face of most Pulp-style games where vicariously experiencing exotic locales form no small fraction of the appeal. Even so, if the GM can make a plausible argument for the presence of the investigators (and a number of solid justifications are offered in this book), the battle is won. The only thing left is to set events in motion and allow the players the room to explore.

Author Jason Morningstar has taken a quirky, real-life premise and given it the Lovecraft treatment: what if there was an ancient entity trapped under the island, and what if that entity used its powers to lure some of the resident humans into offering blood sacrifices to it to help it escape? History is full of such odd occurrences that can serve admirably – with a little tweaking – as the backdrop for gaming adventures, and this one seems tailor made for Trail of Cthulhu.

The investigators will rapidly be overwhelmed by their physical and psychological isolation from the rest of the world: telecommunications satellites and cell phones don’t exist in the 1930s, nor is there an airstrip there – even to this day. The only way to communicate between the island and the outside world in this time period is through messages delivered by ship, which can take weeks (if there is a ship present to begin with, which is rare.) In the heat of the moment, the investigators will find they have only days – or even hours – to do what needs to be done, with no outside help to be counted on.

The Black Drop is an intriguing adventure, suitable for from one to three game sessions. It includes a set of six pre-gen characters to facilitate a quick start to the game. Madness, isolation and a desolate, inhospitable landscape figure prominently; it is even less cheerful – if that’s even possible – than the average Cthulhoid adventure. I applaud Mr. Morningstar’s use of the quirky setting and clever premise to craft an worthy adventure in The Black Drop. The opportunity it offers for an incredible and wholly satisfying gaming experience should not be underestimated.

Rating: Four out of five stars.

Reviewed by Bill Bodden

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Pelgrane Week: Top 10 Gumshoe RPG Reviews

Flames — Mon, 02 May 2011 17:08:25 +0000

Over the years, FlamesRising.com has provided several reviews from games and music produced by Pelgrane Press.

To kick off Pelgrane Press Week today, we dug into our archives. In this round up of our top ten Gumshoe RPG reviews, we highlight your favorite games, supplements and gaming aids.

Take a trip with us into the keep as we remember what we liked (and what we didn’t) about games like Trail of Cthulhu and Mutant City Blues.

Top 10 Gumshoe-Related Reviews

1. Armitage Files Review – The Armitage Files for the Trail of Cthulhu line offers an old idea with a fresh approach. This smart-looking book centers around ten documents (authentic looking pieces ready for handing out to players) and how Keepers can use said documents in a campaign.

2. Four Shadows Music Review – Trail of Cthulhu: Four Shadows is a collection of four songs designed to be played during your Trail of Cthulhu game. The titles of the songs are: Anagnorisis, Ruminations, Pulp Trail of Cthulhu Theme and Purist Trail of Cthulhu theme. The variations in the theme songs are for the two, different styles of play.

3. Rough Magicks Review – The whole work is a fascinating delve through ideas, making the concept of ‘magic’ work in an appropriate way within the world of Trail of Cthulhu. The rules for a Magic Ability work well and are consistent with the rest of the system, but the real joy are the underlying ideas that make it all come to life.

4. Rough Magicks Review – For me, the shining part of this book has to be Idiosyncratic Magic Expanded. This magic is one part Cthulhu and one part Unknown Armies. The purpose of this magic is to enhance the “normal” things your character attempts.

5. Shadows Over Filmland Review – This is a masterful fusion of two seminal strands within the horror genre: 1930s cinema and the writings of Lovecraft and similar authors. The adventures tend to the Pulp side, but there’s plenty for the more Purist to revel in as well. Whatever your characters like best – investigating, brawling, interacting or going slowly insane – they will find plenty of scope here.

6. Hard Helix Review – Gumshoe is a system that does one thing very well: Handle investigation stories. Hard Helix was written to accommodate that. If you’re interested in Mutant City Blues, and you want a strong introduction to the types of stories it’s good at, Hard Helix is a great supplement. In pure written content, it’s a 5/5.

7. Trail of Cthulhu Review – The Introduction dives straight in to the basic premise, that ancient and insane deities exist and are still trying to invade Earth and that someone has to stop them, whatever the cost to life and sanity. It then moves on to the burning question: there’s already a Call of Cthulhu RPG dealing with just that, so why a new game? The answer lies in the Gumshoe ruleset, developed by Pelgrane Press for the purpose of running games based around investigation and discovery, and built so that any adventure depending on certain clues being found will have those clues found!

8. Mutant City Blues Review – Arbitrarily ten years in the future, the world has undergone the biggest ten years worth of change possible; due to an odd illness, people began exhibiting superpowers. Simple enough statement, but the quality comes from the explanation of how these mutants have changed sports, entertainment, law enforcement, et cetera. It’s serious, while still being able to put a gratifying smile on the reader’s face.

9. Stunning Eldritch Tales Review – The first supplement for Trail of Cthulhu this book has four new adventures written by Rodin D Laws. These pulp-style adventures are a good companion for the core book, helping folks get started with the Gumshoe system from Pelgrane Press. The book itself is 82 pages (including the handouts) and has a cover by the talented Jerome Huguenin.

10. Gumshoe System Review – It is the presentation of ideas on how to better handle investigative games that helps the would be GM just as much as the system. This is, really, a different approach and a description of how best to implement that approach as much as it is a quality of the system itself that aids investigative games. Still, this is done well.

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Wanted Graphic Novel Review

Flames — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:25:42 +0000

Available at DriveThruComics.com

I first picked up “Wanted” in a Borders bookstore right before the film adaptation came out. There, I flipped through the first five pages and then, remembering the trailer for the film, promptly put it down, wondering which of these were better summaries of what the comic would have to offer. What I had read seemed amazing, what I had seen on the television… less so. And so I went the next few years without reading the comic or seeing the film adaptation, occasionally catching glimpses of the book’s cover and flipping through those first few pages again, wondering if I should take the plunge.

When I first sat down to read it –to really, finally read it– the first thing I noticed was an introduction by Brian K. Vaughan. The praise of Vaughan, author of comic masterpieces like Y: The Last Man and Pride of Baghdad, would be invaluable to me as a reader, so I couldn’t have been more pleased or excited when I read his praise, including the statement:

“[I]t’s only fitting that two of the sweetest, kindest men in comics would get together and produce what is unquestionably the most horrifically disturbing piece of fucked-up brilliance the universe of super-powered villainy has ever seen.”

Immediately I knew I was in for a treat.

Wanted is the tale of Wesley Gibson, an average, everyday loser. His job sucks, his girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend, and he suffers from some sort of self-induced anxiety (which he’s constantly Googling to come up with a name for). He has no backbone and constantly takes flack from everyone around him– until the death of his father, who happens to be a multimillionaire and one of the greatest supervillains to ever live. If all you’ve ever seen of Wanted are the movie trailers (or the movie, for that matter), I’ll bet you didn’t know this is a superhero story. I certainly didn’t know it, but it is– the world of Wanted is one run by supervillains, a worldwide network known as The Fraternity (and I don’t want to spoil anything by telling you about the heroes). Members of The Fraternity have free reign over the rest of humanity. They can kill, torture, destroy, and generally do whatever they want with no fear of repercussions, and they invite Wesley to join the club.

The storyline of Wanted is engaging, to put it lightly. I had planned on reading the comic in two parts, but ended up reading it straight through as soon as I started. Once you start reading, it grabs you and doesn’t let go. Mark Millar’s tale is deep and entertaining, while still wallowing in violence, crude humor and grotesqueries. This is not a gentle read by any stretch of the imagination– colorful language of all sorts abound, rape and murder are casual pastimes, and one notable character is composed of the fecal matter of 666 of the world’s most evil historical figures. Nevertheless, what the graphic novel has to say is meaningful, and it’s perhaps one of the most socially-important superhero comics since Watchmen.

Wesley Gibson is a fascinating character to watch, one who’s head you’re almost afraid to get into. Part Tyler Durden and part Patrick Bateman with a dash of Watchmen’s The Comedian thrown in, the young supervillain-in-training is a wholly compelling protagonist. The reader is never sure whether to root for Gibson in his endeavors. His dreams and aspirations are, after all, to rape, murder and pillage as much as he can, but there’s nevertheless something in him that keeps the reader engaged. The rest of the cast is equally intriguing, from the parasitic Sucker, to the ingenious Professor, to the terrifying Mister Rictus. Every character is well-thought out, complex and fascinating.

JG Jones’ artwork is gorgeous, clean and effective, and works towards the story’s needs perfectly. Characters and backgrounds are crisp and unique– there will never be a problem confusing one character with another. Character design is equally interesting and fitting, as each villain has their own aesthetic feel perfectly fitted to their personality and backgrounds. You get the sense that the artwork is tailored to the story, and nowhere is this more clear than during flashbacks to the time of the Superheroes, during which the comic reverts to a Golden Age of Comics quality in which everything from the colors to the character designs are notably changed to fit the feel of the superhero era. Not to mention, it’s also a ton of fun to look through all the extras that abound through the pages, especially trying to pick out all of the cameos/parodies of famous superheroes.

In summary, Wanted is a wild ride, and a ton of fun. If you only know it from the film, don’t let that influence you. If you like Watchmen, A Clockwork Orange, Fight Club or American Psycho, then don’t miss out on this .pdf collection; Wanted should be counted among the greats in social superhero fiction. It’s an ultra-violent, gruesome and crude tale of the best kind.

Review by Zachary Woodard

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Sign Up for FlamesRising.com’s Monthly Newsletter

Flames — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:33:54 +0000

At the end of April, FlamesRising.com will launch a brand new feature for our site. In addition to our news, reviews, interviews and other horror-related goodness, we are providing subscribers with additional content through our monthly newsletter.

You can sign up for this new feature in the form below or you can visit our FlamesRising.com sign-up form at our mailing list partner.

Concerned about your privacy? So are we. FlamesRising.com follows all compliance guidelines and will not sell or share your e-mail address with anyone. MailChimp is vigilant about its compliance and services, which has given us peace-of-mind so we can focus on giving you an awesome newsletter.

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The Queen of Crows is Now Available for Your Kindle, Nook, iPad and More!

Flames — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:00:02 +0000

First published in March 2010 on DriveThruHorror.com, we’ve expanded our digital offering to include a text-based version for your Amazon Kindle or your Nook from Barnes and Noble. Since this file format is primarily text-based, we went ahead and dropped the price to $2.99 on both the Kindle and the ePub edition. The ePub format, which is available at Barnes and Noble, is also compatible with several other devices including your Sony eReader and your iPhone. Both the Kindle and ePub format are also available through DriveThruHorror.com for your convenience.

In addition to the new version, we’ve optimized the original, full color file to work with your iPad. Because of the file format, we are currently only able to offer this version to you via DriveThruHorror.com and Lulu.com. This week, we will also begin testing the file on a color version of the Nook. We do plan on offering a print version of the work sometime next year.

If you’re curious about where this book is available or want more information, you can check out the updated book page at Violetwar.com. You can also download or view free samples at Barnes and Noble, Lulu.com and DriveThruHorror.com.

Thanks again for your support!

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Celebrate Zombie Week at FlamesRising.com with our Top 10

Flames — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:15:44 +0000

Anyone up for brrrrrrrraaaaaiiiiiiinnnnnnnnsssss?

FlamesRising.com is pleased to announce we’re bringing you a full week of zombies. From essays to new interviews and reviews, we’ve got your flesh covered. To kick things off, we’ve scoured our archives to bring back some old articles from the dead. Check out some of your favorite zombie-themed articles here at FlamesRising.com.

Halloween 2010 at Flames Rising!

Flames — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 00:38:12 +0000

In this post, we take a brief look back at what we’ve done for Halloween for the past, two years and share with you our plans for this year.

Last year, we released a horror plot generator that you continue to enjoy. White Wolf Publishing, who recently announced that the World of Darkness MMO will be based on Vampire: the Masquerade, offered you a scene to be used in your World of Darkness game. Dubbed The Devil’s Night SAS, you’ll need to figure out how to stop the fires from burning in your own city. In addition to those two big surprises, we also featured Crackle.com‘s Zombiefest and other timely events that were related to Halloween.

For Halloween 2009 at FlamesRising.com, thirty-one different creatures reared their monstrous heads each day. Those horrifying creatures are still lingering around, so if you want to have some fun, be sure to drop by our 2009 wrap-up and check them out. For that year, one of your favorite guest posts was written by Jess Hartled. 13 Halloween Etiquette Tips From One Geek to Another continues to be a fan favorite so be sure to check it out.

What’s New for Halloween 2010?

For Halloween 2010, our spooky extravaganza is a celebration of what we love best about the holiday. Our contributors have already started to celebrate Halloween so they can share with you what they love (and hate) about All Hallow’s Eve.

In addition to our regular content, we will be offering you tips, recipes, crafts, and other articles specifically geared toward Halloween and its traditions. From tarot cards to hard-boiled eggs and everything in between, we’re are excited to help you make the most out of this fun holiday.

The easiest way to stay on top of what’s happening at FlamesRising.com, is to subscribe to our horror RSS feed or sign up for e-mail updates.

Otherwise, we encourage you to check back with us or follow us on Twitter through @flamesrising or catch our FlamesRising.com Facebook page updates.

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Curse of the Full Moon Review

Billzilla — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:45:05 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

Curse of the Full Moon
Edited by James Lowder
Ulysses Press, 377 pages

While the full moon rarely has a dramatic an effect on most people, there are some who will admit that they can feel the pull of the moon, at least in subtle ways — and crime statistics bear this out year after year. For those rare few for whom the moon activates a profound curse, the world becomes a different place entirely – a world filled with soft, slow creatures to be hunted, attacked and devoured. Give thanks that those with such a curse are still a rarity…

In Curse of the Full Moon, James Lowder has collected 19 tales from an impressive collection of horror luminaries: George R.R. Martin, Ursula LeGuin, Ramsey Campbell, Charles DeLint, Michael Moorcock and Neil Gaiman are just a few of the names any fan of contemporary fiction will recognize, but the list doesn’t end there. Joe R. Lansdale, Nancy A. Collins, Peter S. Beagle, Gene Wolfe and Harlan Ellison also contribute tales to this collection.

Not all werewolves represented here are evil; some are merely menacing, in the way that a wild beast – when cornered – will defend itself with dread fury. Some shapeshifters in this volume are even amusing — there is a wide variety of points of view offered, and a stunning display of creativity in that variety. I found it interesting how much the point of view shifted from one story to the next, and how different the tale unfolded when the narrator turned out to be more than meets the eye.

Several stories in particular caught my attention; Neil Gaiman’s “Bay Wolf,” for example, perfectly illustrates the concept of a mash-up, combining werewolves and Beowulf’s nemesis Grendel with a Malibu beach setting. Joe R. Lansdale’s “The Gentleman’s Hotel” is perhaps my favorite of the collection; mixing the Old West with werewolves and magic makes for a potent brew. Darrell Schweitzer’s “The Werewolf of Camelot” – the only story completely original to this collection – captures excellently the atmosphere and emotion of an Arthurian tale.

I fully expected to hate “The Brown Bomber and the Nazi Werewolves of the SS,” but instead found it lacked the overt, pulp cheesiness I had anticipated. Once I gave it a chance I found it plausible (if highly unlikely) but still, this is a horror anthology; there’s a certain amount of disbelief one has to suspend to begin with. I enjoyed the story for what it was – a good, romping, pulp action tale with some really scary villains.

Nancy A. Collins’ Population: 666, while not totally new, has been extensively revised from the original version, and as such appears for the first time here. It features both vampires and werewolves, and fans of White Wolf Publishing’s World of Darkness will find much to like about this one in particular. It apparently is being shopped around in script form for a feature film; best of luck to her!

With all the attention being lavished on vampires over the last decade, it’s nice to see another classic horror monster getting some love from writers and publishers. Horror fans will want to snap up Curse of the Full Moon in a hurry; the next full moon isn’t far off…

4 out of 5 stars

Review by Bill Bodden

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Notes on Designing THE QUEEN OF CROWS

Monica Valentinelli — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:11:25 +0000

FlamesRising.com is pleased to present you with the design notes for THE QUEEN OF CROWS, which is available at DriveThruHorror.com. This unique e-book was designed by Monica Valentinelli. In addition to her work here at FlamesRising.com, Monica is also an author and game designer who specializes in the horror and dark fantasy genres.

For more information about this project, be sure to visit VioletWar.com or Monica’s blog located at www.mlvwrites.com.

I wish I could tell you that the story behind THE QUEEN OF CROWS is a long and sordid tale filled with heartache, sorrow and vengeance, but it’s not. The idea began with a spark of inspiration when I was redesigning www.violetwar.com. You see, I felt that the novel I had been working on was broken and needed to be revised as time allowed. However, I also felt that that wasn’t good enough for the readers who have become enamored with this setting. I wanted to offer something for people to buy to get a glimpse of this world and get a sample of my work, too.

Admittedly, I was a bit freaked out by my idea. One of the primary goals I have for the myths in my world, is to not be exclusive to one particular ethnic background or another. You will find elements of different world myths in my setting for a few reasons. One, unique cultures fascinate me and two, I would love it if my writing attracted people from all walks of life and all ethnic backgrounds. I hope I never end up as the type of writer who pens stereotypes or shallow remarks, even if it was unintentional. With THE QUEEN OF CROWS, I felt I had a secret that I wasn’t sure I wanted to share. The entire Violet War setting had evolved from a Native American character, who was created while I was catching up on my American history. The question I asked myself was: How do I present the story in a way that relates to my urban fantasy setting without angering people in real life?

I decided that the best approach was an honest one. The very first thing I did was to finish telling the story I wanted to tell. Then, I tapped into the talents of layout artist and editor, Shari Hill, and the supremely-talented illustrator Leanne Buckley. Together, we collaborated using a combination of online-and-offline tools to add some shape to the rest of the concept. Leanne helped me understand what I wanted Mahochepi to look like, and how her appearance fit into my story and the rest of the e-book. Shari worked with me on putting the pieces together and forced me to consider how I wanted all the different pieces to be presented to the reader. Did I want pull quotes? How did we want the images to appear? In the midst of these questions, I put together a table of contents that highlighted the process behind my writing in order to offer some new information for readers who had been following my progress in this world.

In addition to the design efforts of our team, we did encounter some technical challenges that we are still working through. You see, I come from the land of tabletop RPG e-books, where anything is possible in a PDF format. Neither myself nor Shari had any idea that the concept we put together would be difficult to translate to other e-book formats. That design aspect was a hard lesson to learn. If I had known how difficult it was to render quality images on an e-reader, like Leanne’s full-page/full-color character illustration, I probably would have started out with something less complex. Though, I’m not sure I would have been as happy with the results as I am now.

Between the quality of the images and the content, we worked very hard to justify the $4.99 price tag. That quality is something that’s extremely important to all of us, and that’s part of the reason why the e-book is currently only available at DriveThruHorror.com. There have been quite a few behind-the-scenes discussions about what’s next for this setting and what my plans are for VioletWar.com. People have been asking for the ability to have a print copy; I’m also getting ready to release a promotional trailer. Additionally, I’m writing journal entries on the site when I can, because I want to share with you the journey that I’m taking.

So far, the response to THE QUEEN OF CROWS e-book has been extraordinarily positive. Garnering several positive reviews, I’m thrilled that people have pointed out the unique design behind the product and the enjoyable reading experience that they had. You might have heard the saying, “Content is king!” In my mind, the reader wears the crown. For that, I am grateful for the positive response and am definitely looking ahead to what’s next.

For all these reasons and more, I hope you will consider either checking out THE QUEEN OF CROWS, or recommending it to someone you know.

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Announcing Vampire Week at Flames Rising

Flames — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:45:17 +0000

Sharpen your fangs and lick your ruby red lips! It’s Vampire Week at FlamesRising.com! From now through Saturday, we’re going to introduce a broad range of vampires to you through reviews, articles, essays, and a fun contest, too!

While FlamesRising.com has always been a big fan of the vampire genre, this week is our chance to honor all the great vampire characters that are out there while exploring some new ones. To help you get started, here’s the Top 10 Most Popular Posts about vampires on FlamesRising.com.

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